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DiCaprio turns hat trick

Receives 3 SAG noms; HBO's 10 leads TV field

Leonardo DiCaprio was a triple threat in SAG Award nominations Thursday, when he was recognized for his leading role in "Blood Diamond" and supporting turn in "The Departed" and also figuring in a cast nomination for the latter, a star-laden mob movie.

In the category of outstanding performance by a male actor in a leading role, DiCaprio is joined by Ryan Gosling for "Half Nelson," Peter O'Toole for "Venus," Will Smith for "The Pursuit of Happyness" and Forest Whitaker for "The Last King of Scotland."

Nominations in the leading actress category are Penelope Cruz for "Volver," Judi Dench for "Notes on a Scandal," Helen Mirren for "The Queen," Meryl Streep for "The Devil Wears Prada" and Kate Winslet for "Little Children."

Other pictures figuring in the cast category are "Babel," "Bobby," "Dreamgirls" and "Little Miss Sunshine."

Meanwhile, HBO's "The Sopranos" and the AMC miniseries "Broken Trail" topped nominations in the TV categories with three apiece. Steve Carell ? a member of the nominated "Sunshine" cast ? also figured in two TV slots, drawing a comedy series acting nomination for NBC's "The Office," which numbered among comedy ensemble noms.

Mirren also drew a nomination for her performance in HBO's "Elizabeth I." Alec Baldwin, among the cast of "The Departed," and William H. Macy, in the "Bobby" cast, drew noms for TV performances in "30 Rock" and "Nightmares & Dreamscapes," respectively.

"The SAG Awards always seem like a celebration of what we do and not just sheer competition," SAG president Alan Rosenberg said. "I am proud of the diversity of age and culture and race, which have always been a hallmark of SAG and also of the big ensemble casts. It appears that more writers are writing for bigger casts with varied characters, and that's always good for our members."

DiCaprio's nomination for Warner Bros. Pictures' "Diamond" follows a decision to push his leading role in the gritty African drama and place his work in "Departed," also a Warners picture, in the SAG Awards' supporting actor category. DiCaprio is nominated for a Golden Globe as a lead actor for both pictures, and Oscar ballot rules allow members to nominate actors in either lead or supporting categories.

For now, DiCaprio's forceful presence in the SAG Awards' supporting actor category seems to have squeezed out "Departed" castmates like Jack Nicholson, who turned in a widely praised performance as the leader of an Irish mob in Boston. Matt Damon and Mark Wahlberg also numbered among nine actors in the SAG-nominated "Departed" cast.

Sacha Baron Cohen represented another interesting exclusion, with his starring comedic role in "Borat" nominated for a Globe but absent from the SAG Award noms.

Paramount Vantage's "Babel" ? whose toplining Brad Pitt figured only in the cast's nomination ? drew two noms in the category of outstanding performance by a female actor in a supporting role, for Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi. Other category nominees are Cate Blanchett for "Notes on a Scandal," Abigail Breslin for "Sunshine" and Jennifer Hudson for "Dreamgirls."

Fox Searchlight topped all film labels with six nominations, followed by Warners with four. Paramount Pictures and Paramount Vantage drew three noms apiece.

HBO led TV networks with 10 nominations, while ABC and NBC topped broadcast nets with eight apiece. AMC, Fox, Showtime and TNT each figured in three noms.

Winners in all categories will be announced at the 13th annual SAG Awards, set for Jan. 28 at the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center. Julie Andrews will receive a lifetime achievement award at the kudofest, which will be simulcast at 8 p.m. EST on TNT and TBS.

A complete list of nominees follows.

Film

Actor

Leonardo DiCaprio, "Blood Diamond" (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Ryan Gosling, "Half Nelson" (ThinkFilm)

Peter O'Toole, "Venus" (Miramax Films)

Will Smith, "The Pursuit of Happyness" (Sony Pictures)

Forest Whitaker, "The Last King of Scotland" (Fox Searchlight Pictures)